PLEASE, PLEASE, PAHLEEEEESE GET FIT FOR YOUR HUNT IN AFRICA..!

[Mark Biggerstaff]

Hi All.
I been following this topic ever since I won a hunt this year with Gerrit at Bos en Dal. I am a big guy, 54 yrs , 6’1” , weight was 365 a month ago when I won trip. First off I am big because of a metabolism and thyroid issues. Have fought that all my life. When I won this trip I decided to do what I can to get in shape. A month later I am down 13 lbs. I walk 7 days a week. Yesterday was my personal best on tread mill. I did 1.24 miles in 30 min carrying a 12 lb back pack and my 375 hh rifle. I have about 90 days still before hunt and will do all i can to be in shape. But only so much can be done because of health issues. I plan on fully enjoying my hunt at a pace i can deal with and I have let PH know my limits.

 

[Hogpatrol]

@Mark Biggerstaff

What you are doing will make a huge difference. Good luck on your hunt!

 

[Pheroze]

This is a great thread. I am convinced that my health would be a lot worse if I didn't get involved in hunting overseas.

Stairs are the best method to get you into your VO2 max - the ideal place to be when trying to train cardiovascularly (heart rate should be close to (220 - your age) x 70%. Do this for about 40 minutes four times a week and I believe the studies show you can even reverse type 2 diabetes. It's hard going though, so work up to it.

I live near an escarpment that has a flight of 300 or so stairs. Once the worst of winter passes I want to get back on them.

Anyone still play the sport They liked in their youth? I was playing rugby in an old timers league but I just injure myself too often. Shame because I really love that sport. But, the goal is to hunt, not ruck, so I will back off that for now. I let myself go too far before trying to turn things around.

My biggest concern are the tendons and muscles in the calf so I haven't used a weight vest yet. I do try to change the little things - I bought a standing desk and walk every day, but I know I need to up my game for any major hills. Can't wait to get back to those stairs!

Have fun training guys!

 

[LivingTheDream]

@Mark Biggerstaff keep up the training! You are doing great and it will make a big difference! Be sure to send us pics of your hunt!

 

[tay50]

Maybe you guys should time your wife when she's shopping, I'm sure you will be amazed at how much ground she can cover in a short period of time. Now me, I cover 3 miles at a 5 degree incline in 52min. and 25 sec. or 17 min. and 41 sec. per mile, according the computer on the treadmill. I also look like I have been walking in the rain, except I'm indoors, a good sweat that's for sure.

 

[mdwest]

Hi All.
I been following this topic ever since I won a hunt this year with Gerrit at Bos en Dal. I am a big guy, 54 yrs , 6’1” , weight was 365 a month ago when I won trip. First off I am big because of a metabolism and thyroid issues. Have fought that all my life. When I won this trip I decided to do what I can to get in shape. A month later I am down 13 lbs. I walk 7 days a week. Yesterday was my personal best on tread mill. I did 1.24 miles in 30 min carrying a 12 lb back pack and my 375 hh rifle. I have about 90 days still before hunt and will do all i can to be in shape. But only so much can be done because of health issues. I plan on fully enjoying my hunt at a pace i can deal with and I have let PH know my limits.

I agree with what others have already said... this will make a huge difference in your hunt.. good on you for getting out there and preparing.. not enough people do..

you dont have to be an olympic athelete to have success or enjoy your experience.. but being able to walk a couple of miles while carrying a little weight will make a really big difference..

youre in for the experience of a lifetime... best to prepare for that and squeeze the most you possibly can out of it..

 

[GA Hunter]

Talking more about the Average and Normal thing, not you personally. I googled this thing and some say average and normal, others say not so much. I just contend that a 2o minute mile is not done by average, normal or leisurely paces. Takes hustle. I don't walk as fast as I used to, not as young, now 64. But I still walk pretty fast and it takes about 20 minutes to walk a mile and its not leisurely I promise you.
Brisk Walking Speeds. A brisk walking pace is 3.0 miles per hour or about 20 minutes per mile, which is about 5 kilometers per hour or 12 minutes per kilometer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An average easy walking pace is more than 20 minutes per mile (slower than 3.0 mph).
How Fast Is a Brisk Walking Pace? - Verywell Fit
If you are "walking" over 2 miles in under a half hour, that's about 5 mph, which for most people is jogging. It would be almost twice as fast as I walk. I have a hard time envisioning someone "walking" past me going nearly twice as fast and not jogging. Especially with a big hill in the middle. Are you Superman or just a professional speed walker? LOL.

So I’m either a liar, a superhero, or a speed walker. Hmmmmmm. I think I’ll take superhero.

 

[CEO]

So I’m either a liar, a superhero, or a speed walker. Hmmmmmm. I think I’ll take superhero.

I am taller than average with a fairly long stride and average high 15's, low 16's per mile when going at a good pace. One day just for grins I attempted 4 miles in under an hour and got it with less than a minute to spare. That was head down, hoofing it as fast as my legs would go without looking like one of those walk racing folks.

 

[GA Hunter]

It takes conviction to maintain a 4 mph pace. That’s probably the toughest part.

 

[Scott Slough]

Throw away your weight vest and grab one of these!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CAP-Barbell-Workout-Bar/43389464 Also sold elsewhere, I got mine at Academy Outdoors!

CAP Barbell Workout Bar in weights up to 20 lbs. They are 50 inches long and padded! I started with the 10 lb bar as a good approximation of a gun and quickly moved to the 20 lb. You have to move it dynamically as you walk... think of all of the basic training running with guns exercises!!!!! It will work every muscle in your body if you keep it moving...and I promise you that gun on a sling or over your shoulder will be feather light!

 

[IdaRam]

So I’m either a liar, a superhero, or a speed walker. Hmmmmmm. I think I’ll take superhero.

Must be dopin’

 

[JimP]

Back in my high school days a 4 mph walk was average for me, even when I went to college I kept up the pace even while packing a brief case with my books in it.

On my trip to Africa I had gained 100 lbs and slowed down quite a bit, but I was also 62 years old then with a couple of medical issues that slowed me way down. When I first met my PH I told him that I could go forever on flat ground but hilly country really slowed me down to a crawl. My PH was in his mid 30 and reminded me a lot of the way that I was 30 some odd years ago when I was the same age. One late afternoon while out hunting kudu we went down and around a hill to a road to walk back to the truck. He said that he would go get the truck but I told him that I had a philosophy of never to walk down a hill if you can't walk back up it. That night after we got back to the truck he mentioned that he hopes that he can do what I was doing when he reached his 60's.

As for getting fit, I'll do a 6 mile hike every 2 days near my home. It is 3 miles on a good upgrade on a old road, 1 mile back to a mail road on a up and down road and then 2 miles back to my vehicle on a flat and downgrade. When I first start doing this in the summer it will take me around 4-5 hours to complete with frequent rest stops. At the end of summer and the start of hunting seasons I'll be doing it in a little bit over 3 hours with fewer rest stops. During this hike I'll take my back pack which will weight around 10 lbs. Towards the end I'll just do the first 3 miles with my rifle. On both directions up and back I'll try some shots while breathing quite hard and with my heart pumping hard. I'll determine these shots when I see a bird fly off in the distance and just pick a rock or tree stump to shoot at. It is surprising at how fast you learn to control your breathing by doing this.

Now that I am 65 I won't expect to be able to do the loop as fast but I'll be back up there come the end of our mud season just to see how I am doing.

 

[Hogpatrol]

I'm in such good shape, I can run myself in to the ground.

 

[bilmcc]

Good discussion of getting in shape. Beside working on my wind, I find myself spending way too much energy keeping my balance. A good walking stick does wonders. In Africa, the PH was worried I was going to shoot off of it. When he saw how I used it to get down the ravines, he approved. Getting on the sticks, I just dropped it. Get a sturdy one!
My 2 cents.

 

[bilmcc]

You young guys don't need to worry about it!

 

[mdwest]

Throw away your weight vest and grab one of these!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CAP-Barbell-Workout-Bar/43389464 Also sold elsewhere, I got mine at Academy Outdoors!

CAP Barbell Workout Bar in weights up to 20 lbs. They are 50 inches long and padded! I started with the 10 lb bar as a good approximation of a gun and quickly moved to the 20 lb. You have to move it dynamically as you walk... think of all of the basic training running with guns exercises!!!!! It will work every muscle in your body if you keep it moving...and I promise you that gun on a sling or over your shoulder will be feather light!

I may have to give those a try... Theyre pretty affordable too...

I've been playing with a kettle bell a little bit lately, but walking with it for any distance isnt really practical..

I might look like a bit of a clown going out for a 2 mile trot swinging a 10lb padded bar all around.. but, it would probably get me in a whole lot less trouble than if I tried the same thing with my .375

 

[mdwest]

I am taller than average with a fairly long stride and average high 15's, low 16's per mile when going at a good pace. One day just for grins I attempted 4 miles in under an hour and got it with less than a minute to spare. That was head down, hoofing it as fast as my legs would go without looking like one of those walk racing folks.

Im in a similar boat.. I just went out and did a 5K (3.1 miles) walk just to see what my "fast walk" pace is.. I wasnt pushing to walk as absolutely fast as possible.. but I was definitely "exercising", and not taking a leisurely stroll.. I might have been able to shave 15-20 seconds off per mile if I pushed as hard as I could without taking up an actual "jogging" profile..

I averaged 15:54 a mile, and finished in 49:20...

15 years ago I probably could have "walked" a 15 minute pace, but would have been on the brink of a "jog" the entire time to make that happen.. these days if I want to hit sub 15's I definitely have to change gaits and use something other than a "walk"..

When I go out and just take a 2-3 mile stroll to enjoy the weather, smoke a cigar, etc.. I typically average about a 17:30-18:00 pace... a 20 minute pace would be a pretty slow and very casual walk for sure..

I'm also tall (6'4"), and have a long stride..

 

[Mike B]

All this talk of getting in shape and I broke my leg 100 days out from my safari! HA! Still did ok, but I really wish I could have spent more time getting read for it. I’ve always done a bit of waking and prep for elk hunts, but was just happy to be walking normally when I went to Africa!

To be clear, breaking a leg is not the advised way to prep for any trip, much less a safari.

 

[Scott Slough]

I might look like a bit of a clown going out for a 2 mile trot swinging a 10lb padded bar all around.. but, it would probably get me in a whole lot less trouble than if I tried the same thing with my .375

I walked in a subdivision in College Station, TX and had one cop stop me and when I told him I was getting ready to go hunting in Africa...we spent almost an hour talking about hunting! We exchanged info and I sent him a full hunt report with the photos!!!

 

[Mike B]

Throw away your weight vest and grab one of these!

https://www.walmart.com/ip/CAP-Barbell-Workout-Bar/43389464 Also sold elsewhere, I got mine at Academy Outdoors!

CAP Barbell Workout Bar in weights up to 20 lbs. They are 50 inches long and padded! I started with the 10 lb bar as a good approximation of a gun and quickly moved to the 20 lb. You have to move it dynamically as you walk... think of all of the basic training running with guns exercises!!!!! It will work every muscle in your body if you keep it moving...and I promise you that gun on a sling or over your shoulder will be feather light!

I grabbed one of those in 12 lbs yesterday and started walking with it - it's great! Thanks for that tip! Since I'm leaving in 2 weeks for Argentina I'm carrying it around the office too! Got some funny looks and questions!